“Right. I know. And Lyla is what I came to talk to you about.”
“What about her? Is she okay?”
“She’s fine,” I assure him. “But we’re all exhausted from being vigilant, looking for the son of a bitch to pop up at any time. Lyla had an idea worth considering now that it’s been almost a month without any sign of him.”
“He’s probably been cooped up trying not to fucking die from his gunshot wound.”
“That’s what I said too. But by now, he’s either getting better like Thane, or he’s dead. If he’s not dead, then we want to end this once and for all by letting him know that Lyla’s staying with me and setting a trap.”
“Using her as bait is not only the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard, it’s never gonna happen!”
“That’s what I said too, but Lyla’s plan was to only pretend to be bait, to lure him to the house while she slips out the back door and heads for a waiting ride in the woods without him knowing. He’ll think she’s in there when I pretend to leave, and he’ll pounce. We’ll be waiting for him, surround him, and finally take him out.”
Isaac grunts like he’s not convinced.
“You can’t tell me that you’re not losing your mind with worry every second of the day. The only way Lyla will be safe is when he’s dead, right?”
“Right.”
“Then let’s set the trap and kill him.”
“And if he figures out what we’re planning and gets to Lyla?”
“He won’t. We’ll make sure of it.”
“I’ll have to think this through. We can’t rush into anything.”
“With your guys and ours, that’s more than enough to cover every inch of the perimeter of our house, every road leading in and out. It’ll work.”
Isaac makes a sarcastic huffing sound while tapping his fingers on his desk. “You don’t want to drag it out to keep my daughter under your roof a little longer?”
“Of course I want Lyla to stay with me after this is all over, but only if she wants to, not because she has to while a psycho is after her. And once he’s out of the picture, you won’t have any reasons for keeping her under lock and key. This is why you’ve been overprotective of her but not Laurel, isn’t it?”
“I kept her close to prevent her from turning into him.”
“Lyla is nothing like that man. She never will be.”
“I know that now, genius. I didn’t when she was younger. I’ve always worried about him getting out without me knowing, coming after her. I’m not sure how I knew he would figure out she’s his; I just did. Maybe he doesn’t and he’s coming after her because she looks like her mother. I don’t know.”
“But you’re not worried about Laurel?”
“No, not right now because she’ll be out of the country with John for a few more months.”
“That’s a long honeymoon.”
“You’re not still hung up on her, are you?”
“No, I’m not.”
“Good, because if you hurt Lyla…”
“You’ll kill me?”
“No, I’ll keep you just conscious enough to feel the pain without dying for a very long time.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. Lyla’s given me everything that was missing with Laurel. I think I was supposed to be with her from the beginning. After all, I met Lyla first.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. But she was shy, blew me off,” I tell him with a grin. “Guess I gave up too easily, and then Laurel showed an interest in me.”
“Don’t make the same mistake,” he says.
“Does that mean you’re encouraging me to be with Lyla?”
“If she’s happy, then I’m happy. After Dockery is dead, of course.”
“Of course,” I agree.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Lyla
“In a few hours, this will all be over with,” Bear promises me. “You’ll be safe.”
It took my dad several days to come around to my plan, but he finally gave in. Then it took several more days for him to ensure he had every base covered.
“It’s not me I’m worried about,” I tell him. “I know I’ll be fine. I won’t be here. You will. So will my dad, his friends, your brothers. I worry about all of you getting hurt.”
“It’s one man. We can take him.”
“What will you do when you have him cornered?” I ask.
“What do you want to happen?”
“I guess I want him to go back to prison.”
“Even though he could escape or be released again in a few years.”
I nod because I don’t want to be responsible for a man dying.
“Okay. I’ll try to convince your dad to turn him in to the police.”
“Promise?” I ask because I don’t want Bear to be anything like my father.
“I can’t make that promise, baby. I wish I could.”
“Yeah, I know. My dad wants to murder him. I’m just ready to get this over with. How do we get started?”
“First, we’re going to go by your house, then your dad’s clubhouse, places the stalker has likely been monitoring.”
“Okay.”
“Then, I’ll take you home and go back to Greer’s to meet up with Isaac, Remy, and Colt. Devil Hounds will be in place all throughout the neighborhood to keep an eye on things and let us know if or when he shows while making sure you get to the meet-up point, where RJ will be waiting with a four-wheeler that will take you through the woods to Remy’s motel. Hugo and Jordan will be there waiting, making sure it’s clear for you to hide out in a room with Thane.”
“Sounds like you’ve got it all covered.”
“We do. Just try to act normal, but stay close in case he loses his patience.”
“Do we know his name yet?” I ask.
“No,” Barrett answers.
“And my dad didn’t tell you why he’s after me?”
“Nope. I don’t think he knows.”
“Really? That seems unlikely.”
“Well, hopefully, it’ll all be over soon. Maybe then your dad will offer up more information on him.”
“Maybe so,” I agree.
“Try not to worry. I’ll have my gun on me the whole time, and we’ve got eyes on us everywhere we go, even if you don’t see them.”
“Okay, Let’s get this over with.”
The visit with my grandmother is short because we don’t want to put her in danger.
As soon as Bear kills his bike’s engine at the Devil Hounds’ bar, he gets a text.
“What’s up?” I ask when he takes a long time reading it.
“Let’s go inside,” Barrett says, slipping his arm around me to guide me into the bar. As soon as the door shuts behind us, he tells the bouncer, “Lock it.”
“He’s here?” I ask as my heart begins to thump louder.
“One of the Hounds spotted him following us from your house in an old, rusted orange truck,” he tells me.